That anger was earned. Frank had watched more of Sophie’s videos than Essie had, and the end result was that he was flying to Miami later today to have a sit-down conversation with his daughter.
Sophie didn’t know he was coming. Essie was afraid for the young woman. She was about to be confronted with the truth. There was nothing Sophie could say or do at this point to defend herself.
It was all there on TikTok in living color.
Essie had no idea what Frank was going to do, other than talk. But he was a man of action. He would give Sophie some kind of ultimatum, that much Essie was sure of.
But the dread wasn’t coming from any of that. It was coming from the thought of how Sophie would retaliate. That seemed inevitable. She would defy her father, just like she had in the past, and she would lash out at Essie.
Sophie would make this all about Essie. She would blame Essie for ruining her life in a brand-new way. What would stop her? What could Frank possibly do to prevent it from happening?
Take her money away? That would just make Sophie rage. And she would do it live and online.
Essie tipped her head back, trying to breathe and think through this. Maybe she should ask Frank not to go.
But that meant Sophie got a free pass for this awful behavior. It meant that Sophie, essentially, had won.
Essie didn’t love that. It would only empower the young woman. Make her think she was in the right.
She wasn’t. Obviously.
Essie drank her coffee and wished she had the answer to all of this. She’d prayed about it. Now she was wondering if this was a turn-the-cheek moment or a table-flipping moment. She had a feeling she knew what the Queen Bees would say.
But it was so complicated. She loved Frank and she wanted him to have a good relationship with his daughter. If only Sophie could be more like Chad. More accepting. More understanding. Less focused on herself. Employed.
But Sophie only saw the world in her terms, and when something didn’t align, it wasn’t worth her time. She’d made that clear early on when she hadn’t come to the wedding. It hadn’t met with her approval; therefore, she hadn’t bothered. In fact, she’d made sure she was doing something else.
What a brat. Honestly, Essie couldn’t imagine that the late, great Stacia would have approved of her daughter’s behavior. And if she would have, then how had Frank ever been attracted to such a woman?
The more Essie thought about it, the worse she felt.
Sounds filtered through from the house. She got up and went inside. Frank was in the kitchen, in his bathrobe, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“How did you sleep?” She was almost afraid to hear his answer.
He turned, cup in hand. He was bleary-eyed, hair tousled from sleep. He shook his head. “Not well. I am so upset by all of this.”
She nodded, feeling tears building and her throat tightening. “Me, too,” she managed.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’ve let you down. I’m embarrassed by Sophie and her actions. I don’t condone anything she’s said or done. I’m absolutely infuriated by it.Andby the way she’s putting herself out there.”
“I know,” Essie whispered, mollified by his words. “I don’t blame you one bit.”
“Well, you should. I’m her father. I’m half of the team that raised her.” He drank his coffee. “I don’t know what to do with that girl. She’s an adult. Clearly, she has the free will to make her own decisions. But I don’t have to like them. And I have the free will to react how I see fit. Actions have consequences.”
Essie nodded again. “What are you going to do?”
He sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” He leaned against the counter. “There’s really only one thing Sophie responds to.”
Essie had a feeling she knew where this was going.
“Money.” Frank heaved the word out like it was painful to say. “The problem is, taking away her allowance is going to make things worse. At least temporarily.”
Essie nodded, grateful her husband understood the problem so well. “I think so, too.”
He frowned into his coffee. “That part is my fault. The kids were destroyed when their mom died. I thought some financialsupport would make things easier on them. Let them deal with their grief without the worry of money to add to it. Chad was already working and turned down the money.”
Essie hadn’t known that.
